Electric trap-release



(No Model. 5 J. A. R. ELLIOTT.

ELECTRIC TRAP RELEASE.

No. 558,051. 50 Pate {115d Apr. 14, 1895.

fgvenforx JJZJZZZLZOZZZ g fli'iggsf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES A. R. ELLIOTT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

V ELECTRIC TRAP- RELEAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,051, dated April 14, 1896.

Application filed July 11, 1895. Serial No. 555 ,648. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. R. ELLIOTT, of-

Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvem ents in Electric Trap-Releases, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to trap springing or releasing devices, and more particularly to electrical trap-releases; and my object is to produce a device of this character which is more positive and reliable in action than any at present in use with which I am familiar.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which is simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of con struction.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a plan view of an inanimatetarget trap and of an electrical release embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale, which illustrates the internal structure of the release.

In said drawings, 1 designates a rectangular box or casing, and 2 an electromagnet secured therein and having its terminals connected in the customary manner with the bindingposts 3, secured externally to the casing. magnet, which is pivoted, as shown at 5, close to one end, upon a boss in the interior of the casing, which armature is adapted to swing in the vertical plane of the poles of the electromagnet, being limited in its outward movement by the adjusting-screw 6, carried operatively by the casing. Said screw, after being adjusted to limit the swing or movement of the armature, may be reliably fixed at any point by the lock-nut 7. A further object of this lock-nut will be explained presently.

The armature is recessed at the side of the pivot opposite from the electromagnet, as shown at 8, and set in said recess is a tempered steel stopplate 9, by means of the 4 designates the armature of said screw-bolt 10, or it may be set detachable in any other suitable manner.

Pivoted to rotate in the vertical plane of and above the armature at one side of the electromagnet, on the screw-bolt 11, is the disk 12, which projects through a slot in the upper side of the casing, and said disk is provided with a notch in its periphery to form the opposite shoulders 13 14, which shoulders are adapted alternately to contact with the stop-pin 15, projecting internally of the casing into said notch. At a point nearly diametrically opposite to said notch is a second notch 16, which notch forms the comparatively high and low shoulders 17 and 18 at its opposite ends, and the base of said notch, when the disk is in itsoperative position, or, in other words, set to spring the trap, is parallel with and slightly above the upper side of the casing.

Projecting from one side of the disk at a point near its periphery is a pin 19, and hearing against said pin is a spring 20, which is secured by a screw-bolt 21 to a part of the easing. The tendency ofthis spring is to throw the disk, in the direction indicated by the arrow, to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. Inits operative position, however, it is retracted to the position shown in full lines, and holds the cylindrical tempered steel pin 21 against the opposing end of the steel stopplate 9, which thus prevents rotatable movement of the disk, said plate being held yieldingly by the weight of the armature into the path of said contact-pin, which, being cylindrical, provides the smallest reliable contact surface which can be obtained, and therefore reduces friction between said pin and said plate to the minimum. This is done to get a quick response of the disk when the armature is attracted to the electromagnet, as will be hereinafter referred to.

Projecting vertically from the upper side 5 IOO 3 are connected by the wires 27 and 28 to an electrical battery, and located also in said circuit is a circuit maker and breaker, consisting of a simple contact push-button 29 or an equivalent device.

30 designates the swinging arm of the trap, which is approximately of inverted-T shape in cross-section, so that when said arm is grasped and moved into position to set the trap it first comes in contact with the shoulder 17 of the disk and moves the same from the position shown in dotted to the position shown in full lines, Fig. 2. This is done very quickly and carelessly, usually, and to prevent injury to the disk or any of its parts I provide the arm 22, having the shoulder 23, which takes off the impact of said arm from the disk.

\Vhen the trap is set, the pin 21, engaging the stop-plate 9, prevents the outward movement of the arm 30, owing to the fact that in its path is interposed the short shoulder 18 of the disk, beyond which it cannot pass until the disk is moved without springing up over it, and this it cannot do because of the overlapping shoulder 23, which prevents any upward movement or spring of said arm. This shoulder 23, in practice, will be found of great advantage, owing tothe fact that the arms 30 of traps of this type are frequently sprung, and therefore often accidentally ride over short or low obstructions and throw the target or release the bird before the proper time. With both shoulders, however, it is obvious that said arm cannot move until the disk is operated. At the free end of thearm 30 a target-carrier 31, of the construction shown, or of any other suitable or preferred construction, is mounted.

The trap is sprung by simply pressing the push-button and completing the circuit to e11- ergize the electromagnet. Immediately this takes place the armature is attracted to the sameand the contact-plate moves out of the path of the pin 21. The disk is then thrown in the direction indicated by the arrow to theposi'tion shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, by the action of the spring (not shown) on the arm 30, which throws the target. The disk is retained-in this position until the trap is reset by the attendant grasping the arm 30 and swinging it back to its former position. In accomplishing'this it will be noticed that the arm passes the shoulder 18 and comes in contact with the shoulder 17, and thereby forces the disk back to its original position, where its pin 21 is immediately reengaged by the armature.

Owing to the fact that a quick response of the'disk to the action of the armature is essential, it is obvious that the employment of a lock-nut is very important, as it prevents any accidental movement of the adjusting,

screw 6, and therefore any increase of frictional surface by the plate 9 being projected further into the path of the pin 21.

In case it is desirable to spring the trap without completing the circuit, I employ a sliding pin 32, which projects through an aperture in the bottom of the boX. The up per end of said pin, or that within the boX, is diametrically enlarged, as shown at 33, so as to form a shoulder, which will prevent the pin from slipping through the aperture out of the casing.

When the trap is reset,the momentum given the disk by the engagement of the arm 30 with the shoulder 17 would be apt to injure the spring 20 in a short time, and therefore the necessity of the shoulder 13 to engage the stop-pin will be apparent.

This release may also be used as conven ientlyto spring live-bird as inanimate traps by simply providing an arm 34, connected to the trap (not shown) with a slot 35, which will engage the shoulder 18, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. 7

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electrical release for live-bird or inanimate-target traps, comprising a suitable casing, a notched disk rotatably mounted therein and projecting through a slot in said casing, a pin projecting from said disk, a stopplate held yieldingly in the path of said pin, and an arm upon said casing, notched to form an overhanging shoulder which overlaps the notch in the disk, substantially as set forth.

2. An electrical release for live-bird or inanimate-target traps, comprising a suitable casing, an electromagnet therein, a circuit maker and breaker in the circuit with said magnet, a pivoted armature having a stopplate at the end opposite to the magnet, an adjusting-screw, a lock-nut thereon, a trippin for said armature, a spring-actuated rotary disk projecting through a slot in the easing and provided with a pair of notches, a pin engaging one of them and a trap-arm the other, a shoulder overlapping said trap-arm, and a pin engaging the stop-plate, substantially as set forth. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. R. ELLIOTT. Witnesses:

G. Y. THoRPE, M. R. REMLEY. 

